What Am I? Christmas: A Picture Book of Read-Aloud, Rhyming Christmas Riddles

Written by Shana Gorian

Illustrated by Art Porta

A beautifully illustrated Christmas holiday picture book!

Children (and adults) love solving riddles. This book could easily become a family holiday tradition passed down from one generation to another. These rhymes contain riddles about easily recognizable holiday objects appropriate for all ages from preschool on up.

Suggested for families and classrooms. Siblings or classmates might even want to turn the fourteen riddles into a competition to see who might get the most correct answers. Fun for all ages.

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A Tree Full of Wonder: An educational rhyming book about the magic of trees for children

Written by Anna Smithers

Illustrated by Martyna Nejman

What an adorable rhyming picture book! The story begins with a riddle for young readers to ponder.

Children learn how humans and trees are dependent upon each other. Trees give off the oxygen that we breathe in while taking in the carbon dioxide humans breathe out. The author explains how trees are useful. They provide wood and paper for us, stabilize our weather, provide shelter, give us food, and afford countless opportunities for having fun.

At the end of the book, readers can test their knowledge by identifying the twelve different trees mentioned in the book and accepting the challenge to replace the trees that have been cut down.

Highly recommended for primary and elementary grade readers.

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The Big Book of Silly Jokes for Kids Book2

Written by Carole P. Roman

This book is the sequel to the wildly successful Silly Jokes 1 and it follows a similar format. It includes silly questions, knock-knock jokes, tongue twisters, puns, riddles, one time and a write your own jokes section.

My favorite parts of this collection include the silly facts because I love getting the background or history behind the scene, and the write your own jokes section because it teaches children writing skills while they don’t even realize they are developing new methods of communication aptitude.

The charming illustrations add to the fun. Recommended for children of any age. Younger children can begin with the simpler jokes and progress to those with more difficult punch lines. It is a good choice for siblings to share.

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The Big Book of Silly Jokes for Kids 2

Written by Carole P. Roman

Illustrated by Dylan Goldberger

This book is the sequel to the wildly successful Silly Jokes 1 and it follows a similar format. It includes silly questions, knock-knock jokes, tongue twisters, puns, riddles, one time and a write your own jokes section.

My favorite parts of this collection include the silly facts because I love getting the background or history behind the scene, and the write your own jokes section because it teaches children writing skills while they don’t even realize they are developing new methods of communication aptitude.

The charming illustrations add to the fun. Recommended for children of any age. Younger children can begin with the simpler jokes and progress to those with more difficult punch lines.  It is a good choice for siblings to share.

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Topsy Turvy: Bedtime with a Smile Picture Book (Bedtime Stories with Uncle Willy 3)

Written by Sarah Mazor

Illustrations by Sergii Zavadskyi

I always look forward to a new collection of Uncle Willy’s zany stories for preschool and primary grade children.

In Book 3, Uncle Willy tells the tale of a town named ComeGo where everything is topsy turvy. The children teach their parents basic skills like how to ride a swing or a bike. People say goodbye when they meet and hello when the leave. Animals behave strangely. Bears hang on trees like monkeys and cows play like puppies. Pigeons lick themselves like cats and people pull carts instead of horses. Children learn about opposites while having a good laugh.

The fun continues as readers are urged to create their own fanciful stories. They are presented with fifteen riddles and given four choices. Correct answers are given. These activities can be done with an adult or in a group with other children. I highly recommend the entire Uncle Willy series of books.

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Once Upon a Bedtime

Written by Sarah Mazor

Illustrated by Sergii Zavadskyi

Another adorable rhyming book from Sarah Mazor. This delightful collection of rhymes features clever characters like a microphone riding a bike, cottage cheese skiing, a banana riding a horse, and a house dressed in a red blouse. Young children will laugh at the nonsensical but funny anecdotes. Not only will they learn common objects, but they will learn what’s wrong with this picture.

The illustrations are beautifully done in vivid colors and apt expressions. Bonuses include a generous collection of riddles for readers to solve once they finish the story. Mazor provides four possible answers for each as well as extension activities for the riddles to provide additional learning.

This is the first book in what promises to be a wonderful series. This book is geared toward toddlers and preschoolers, but older readers will also love it.

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Timber View Camp

Written by Jason Deas

Sally and Reggie are fifth-grade friends who are also neighbors. When Sally receives a free “golden ticket” to attend Timber View Camp, she is upset about leaving her home this summer. Her fears are somewhat alleviated when Reggie also wins a ticket.

When the day to leave for camp arrives, they are dismayed to see an ugly purple double-decker bus with a strange driver who speaks in rhyme pick them up. The pair is even more alarmed when they are dropped off in the middle of nowhere with only a four-part riddle to guide them. By pulling together the campers dub themselves the 12 up and use each of their talents to survive and make it to the campground.

Things keep getting weirder as Reggie and Sally, along with their new friends, fear that they are being watched and followed. Tony and Sissy, their counselors, mysteriously disappear as the odd events unfold. The campers cleverly team up with Cynthia, whose family works at the camp, to develop a plan to expose the owners and turn the tables on them.

This mystery contains wonderful characters, clever plot lines, and lots of humor to accompany the mystery. Young detectives will have to use their smarts to solve it.

Highly recommended for readers ages nine and older.

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3-in-1 Jokes, Riddles & Tongue-Twisters for Kids

Written by Rob Hilario

This book contains roughly one hundred pages filled with one line jokes, riddles, and fun tongue twisters. It is written mainly for an elementary school age audience, but it would be enjoyed by kids of all ages. The book is divided into categories such as animals and pets, school and science, holidays, ghosts and monsters.

The book would provide lots of entertainment for children’s parties or fun for siblings and friends to quiz each other. Any child who loves jokes or practicing tongue twisters would enjoy this book as a gift. Recommended especially for ages six through twelve.

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Dragons Are Real

Written by Valarie Budayr

Illustrated by Michael Welply

So you thought dragons are fire-breathing monsters who trample the ground beneath their feet, instill fear or rescue damsels in distress. Well, the author tells young readers that is incorrect. Real dragons read books, memorize poems, solve riddles, laugh when tickled and dance the cha- cha. They are masters of disguise and may be lurking in the most unexpected places. Dragons love sweets; beware of losing that ice cream cone that you might be holding in your hand.

Welply does a masterful job of illustrating these charming scenes with large images in soft pastel colors which bring the text to life. This picture book will especially appeal to young readers in the four to seven age group. Perfect choice for a read aloud or bedtime story. It’s hard not to fall in love with the antics and images of the dragons portrayed on these pages.

BeachBoundBooks is pleased to be coordinating a Blog Tour for the charming children’s book written by Valarie Budayr and illustrated by Michael Welply, Dragons are Real. The tour will run from May 9 – May 30, 2016

About the Book

About the Illustrator: Michael Welply

Gaspar and the Fantastical Hats

Written by David A. Lindsay

Illustrated by Pilich

This fantasy novella just short of one hundred pages is set in medieval times amidst dark alleys, cobblestone streets, a wizard’s den and raucous taverns. Gaspar has just spent the night at one of his favorite haunts, The Bag O’Silver Inn where he could pick up gossip on who to target and who was after him. Shortly after, two assassins named Sloat and Weasel confront him in a dark alleyway. An unknown intruder saves his life.

The Council of Guild Masters run the city. These guilds are arranged in a hierarchy of power. Strangely enough the City did function. The wizards had a monopoly of magical artifacts. Gaspar is a petty thief who is a freelancer not a member of any guild. How does he get involved in a dangerous caper? The women of the Merchant’s Quarter had taken a liking to wearing hats that were decorated with magical objects. Some of the wizards began taking bribes, while the milliners took advantage of the fad. Eventually magical artifacts became scarce. Gaspar is enlisted to steal a magical artifact for one such hat. His friend, Hubris, the Spell-broker is recruited separately to steal another. They break into the Wizard’s Hall where they are confronted with a golem, a giant living stone statue. Both thieves must steal an artifact and successfully escape the golem. These partners will discover that appearances are deceiving; the plot twists and turns to reveal new deceptions, and the reader does not foresee the conclusion.

The characters are interesting and the plot well developed in this novella even though the sentence descriptions can be wordy at times. The combination of fashion, mystery, adventure and intrigue are nicely balanced in the right amount for a middle grade reader that will appeal to boys and girls. The golem’s riddles are a nice touch; they will encourage young readers to ponder and philosophize This book can easily be read in a couple of hours or broken up into sections for discussion as a class read aloud.

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